OCTOBER 22, 2005. A day that will be forever forged in every Hearts supporter's mind. It was of course the day that Vladimir Romanov pulled the plug on George Burley just hours before an SPL match with Dunfermline.

Big-spending Hearts had started that league campaign in scintillating fashion winning their first eight league games and sat at the top of the table. Hopes were high and rightly so amongst the support that they could win the league that season. But "Mad Vlad" had other ideas and his decision to bin Burley blew the squad apart and extinguished all hope of a first league title since 1960.

Fast forward just over 13 years and Hearts have made their best start to a Premiership campaign since then. The fans are dreaming for the first time since that rollercoaster Burley season that it might just be their year. Five straight wins including a win over champions Celtic have earned the Jambos a five-point gap at the top of the table. Craig Levein has slowly weeded out the disastrous recruitment by the previous manager Ian Cathro and now has a squad with a terrific blend of youth and experience. The spine of the team looks so strong at the minute and it also has depth with the young players he blooded last season beefing up the overall squad.

One player who has received a lot of plaudits and rightfully so has been Steven Naismith. He is the hottest striker in Scotland at the minute and has just had a magnificent week for club and country. But it’s not just his goals that have made Hearts better. His experience and know-how on and off the pitch have proved invaluable to Hearts – talking and coaching the young players through games. Steven MacLean is another one. These guys are terrific professionals and when you have a young group like Hearts you can’t have enough good pros in the dressing room. That experience along with the enthusiasm and energy of the guys like Harry Cochrane and Anthony MacDonald is a potent mix.

But the main man for me from what I have seen from Hearts this season has been John Souttar. I have to admit I did question his defensive capabilities and decision-making before he picked up an Achilles injury in January 2017. I never questioned his ability because it was obvious technically he was a very capable footballer, but he had at least one mistake in him every game and it was hurting not only him but the team. It may sound strange but picking up that injury and spending a long period out has been the making of him.

Firstly, he has bulked up dramatically in the gym and has turned into a really powerful defender well up to matching any striker in the league physically. He no longer gets bullied or shoved off the ball at centre-back which he was prone to prior to his injury. Secondly, spending a lot of time out injured forces you to watch a lot of football. It is amazing the different viewpoint you get from watching a game high up in the stand on a Saturday.

It’s common knowledge that all the best players sit up there but the amount you pick up and learn is amazing and it helps your game and your decision-making. You look at players in your position playing and think, "He should have done this or played that ball". It goes without saying you would rather be playing, but you can pick up bits and pieces that help your game.

I broke my leg at Hibs and spent six months out basically in the gym and watching games from the Easter Road stand on a Saturday. The season I returned from injury I finished top goalscorer for the club and had probably my best season as a player. That was a combination of hard work in the gym, learning by watching games from the stand and appreciating every minute as a player because, after a bad injury like Souttar had, you come back stronger physically and mentally.

Finally, his decision-making has improved so much it’s frightening. As a centre-back you could have no better teacher than Craig Levein who was top-class himself and I think that has definitely rubbed off on John. His gaffer's teams were always built on a solid, physical, no-nonsense defence and this Hearts team is no different. When it has to go into the back of the stand it goes and John has learned that and hence become a better all-round defender. No longer do I watch him and think he has a mistake in him by overplaying. His concentration levels are now full for 90-plus minutes. Figures of £10m have been bandied about for Scott McKenna at Aberdeen but I think Souttar now is just as good as him. Hearts have a top-class young player on their hands and a valuable asset.

Greater tests lie in wait for this Hearts side, particularly in Glasgow and on the other side of Edinburgh, but the early signs are promising. But it’s only a start. With no Romanov to meddle behind the scenes once again, the Jambos are dreaming. It remains to be seen if their former Leicester City manager can pull off a miracle like the one his former club achieved in the Premier League in 2016.

And another thing...

What a fantastic start for Oran Kearney at St Mirren. A point against the champions Celtic at home gets his tenure off to a flyer. Maybe he was right in his statements after being unveiled as manager and St Mirren should be aiming to win the league title . . .